Mike Gearon

Aircraft 1 has avionics starting to light up. 2 weeks to done then we are really looking for a motor. Turns out the Titan steel barrel option is still quite a delay. Nic plated Titan a year away and steel sooner but not soon!

We may end up putting the UL520t in aircraft 1 and ordering a second UL.

We had the SAAA guys visit aircraft 1 and 2 last week. What a great volunteer service. Inspection 2 on aircraft 2 and inspection 1 on aircraft 2.

11 hours ago, Roundsounds said:

The concept of glide approaches in GA went out with Tiger Moths. I know it’s a thing with RAAus, but that goes back to 2 stroke engines and GFA instructors.

Is this true?

Aircraft 2 up to the wings. Definitely phone a Neighbour time. I couldn’t get my big hand in at all. The D leading edge well worth it though. 
 

Some concerns with plastic wing tanks moving and swelling.  I’m seriously looking at aluminum tanks. 
 

An external flange can sit between the 2 ribs where the book is. We apparently have a genius aluminum welder at Tyabb that does the war birds. 
 

10 hours ago, Kyle Communications said:

even with a VDO style mechanical one which are notorious for failing

This solves a puzzle I’d not understood. Had a potential buyer for the rotax powered motor glider in USA. He cancelled and amongst 10 items was “analog oil pressure gauge dangerous”

I thought he might have meant connections were a problem. He was a very fussy NASA rocket scientist so I didn’t ask further.

Now I’m building an aircraft and actually building the second S21  I have a lot more appreciation for your efforts. Life certainly gets in the way. I’m luckily on a nice calm patch after years of turbulence. Hope yours improves.
 

Your S21 will I think be an easy build compared to what you’ve been doing so far.  I’m on the 2nd S21 with tail done. Horizontal, vertical stab and control surfaces. The elevator and trim tab an anticipated pain. Finishing up trim tab hinges today and I’ll make a YouTube video of what is likely a much better solution to fitting and drilling those hinges than the methods I’ve seen in various YouTube’s.
 

With regard to the stainless corrugated tube. Have you flow tested it? Just a simple hook up to tap and run it at different pressures on timed release. Maybe a meter of it in typical bends to really push the testing. Say 10 seconds for 2 litres at a certain pressure then compare to standard rubber hose. Then change the pressures up and repeat.

Wing tanks today and tomorrow. We’ve watched 3 different YouTube builders and the Rans videos. Then we run out of stuff to do on aircraft 1. I’ve started aircraft 2 with rudder done straight and near perfect. We will push into aircraft 2 next few weeks amd whenever stalled on 1. 
 

Garmin G3X stuff is slow. It’ll arrive in bits and pieces next few months. Titan 180hp engine is now steel bore because we can actually get one in the next month. UL520Turbo 220hp will be here soon. We’ve decided to go the easy way on aircraft 1. All the Titan FWF is here and looks straight forward. 

USA Ulpower are in process of getting 520t carbon fiber cowling and engine mount done for S21 I’m guessing these will be toward the end of the year. There have been delays already.

Airmaster prop for 520t is some 8 months away so aircraft 2 can proceed at a leisurely pace and we won’t sweat what will probably be a challenge getting the Ulengine sorted.

Aircraft 2 is a tail dragger at this point. I have the Pipistrel tail dragger motor glider in a 40’ container mid November so can see how that goes. It’s much harder to handle than the S21 TD

If anyone wants space in the 40’ I have heaps. Shipping from Moriarty New Mexico to Moorabin

1 hour ago, MattP said:

 

 

I had for thr pifr exam... what the f#$% is the difference with the pifr, and why isn't there a book?!

😀 there’s a lot of curious stuff out there. The PIFR does seem to be a good CASA option the FAA don’t have. 
 

I’ll get that book. Small money for books compared to IFR flight costs

Studying back here for PIFR. NDB’s seem to be a big deal. We barely touched on them in USA. I purchased David Robson Navigation. 
 

it’s the first aviation book I really find enjoyable to read. Very clear. NDB’s and the previously cursed relative bearing now make sense. 
 

Plan to start PIFR soon and a pilot buddy who unexpectedly dropped on at French Island has PIFR and said NDB’s were also barely mentioned. 
 

9 hours ago, Aero_Medic said:

Started listening to the AOPA podcasts already, thanks for sharing the link. 

Cool. These really are potential life savers. USA based but most are applicable to our flying. 

1 hour ago, Bruce Tuncks said:

Mike, the only person who I know who has landed in scrub said that when the wings were ripped off, the plane stopped.

I take this to mean. that if you keep flying enough to aim the fuse between trees, this will be mighty helpful.

Yes, one of the AOPA episodes mentions exactly this and the guy flew it all the way in. I heard just now on the news about the Australian crash. Condolences to the pilots family.

Check AOPA podcasts. “there I was” 

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/there-i-was-an-aviation-podcast/id1240482999

A Numbrr of episodes involve landing in trees. The thing with “There I was” is the survival rate is 100% or the pilot couldn’t go on the show. I try to listen to each episode and take away what they’ve learned and retain it.

Did a straight line trip recently over country I couldn’t glide out of danger from 9,500ft . I remember looking down at Mt Bulla and thinking that snow is the only landing spot I’ve seen. It was quite a relief to get back to safer country and without a BRS I’m unfortunately going to have to admit to being a bit wary of a repeat. Next trip will be my more usual more westerly route with plenty of landing spots in glide range.

I did have a “take home” from one of the episodes which was to look out for younger growth. Younger plantation trees being a better option. Certainly save one pilots life on that show and I did spot some of these type of plantations on the trip.

Progress report. Rudder connected, seats in. Elevator and aileron controls ready to connect. Tyres on so we can proceed with hydraulics. 
 

The build is getting exciting. Nice to see rudder pedals in. Sort of move backwards to go forward getting skins on then removing to deburr. We will leave the side skins off while doing avionics. Heaps better access. 
 

Stuff coming from overseas should be arriving soon. Firewall forward Titan kit air freighted and we expect that in next week. The UL520t engine due within the next month. UL520turbo motor should be a month away. Garmin isn’t far off. 

Tomorrow we will have rudder cables sorted and control sticks in place. Moving onto seats and wheels next week. End of October we might be getting close to  flyable. It could possibly be 2 aircraft built by end February…. Rans currently has a 3-4 year wait for factory built S-21 aircraft and still around 12 months wait on the kits.

We have 2 X Titan engine on order with delivery possibly mid 2023. ULPower engines around 3 months wait so I expect we will see how the engine performs. I’d still prefer that a mixture control on the UL rather than rely on the ECU programming. That’s the change I’d make if it was possible.

Top 2 pics this afternoon. Bottom pic is where we were a week back and looks of course more finished. We do have to get the firewall back on to run the rudder cables with a foreword support bracket through the firewall.
 

That damage is very confronting. You guys have been through an awful lot.

I liked your plan to change the throttle linkage. Hopefully it’ll become more positive at both idle and WOT. The current arrangement isn’t good at either end.

Dubbo flight today. 9,500ft added about 5kn and safety factor over the divide. Bloody cold though. Had ski pants on and multiple layers. Had to grab that jacket you see to wedge behind. Kidneys started getting painful from the cold coming through seat and in a rush to get out before fog set in I’d forgotten the cap. Jacket and Bob Tait took sunscreen duty. 
 

Definitely investing in one of those stick on sun screens to push into the appropriate roof area.

Thankful to John for bringing Guy down in that beautiful 4 seater tail wheel. Wish I’d gotten a pic. TD Used to live at Tyabb until John purchased 4 months back. 
 

I managed a horrible landing at Dubbo. Guy did 2 circuits in the Nynja with me right seat and way better landings. 6:50am departure, stop at Tumut for fuel I didn’t need and wheels down at Dubbo 11:35am. 400nm averaged around 100-103kn gs. 
 

I finally worked out how to work that spring up top. You can lengthen or shorten it to get exactly the right wind correction for course. It’s just in front of Bob Tait wrapped around.
 

Trimmed out and hands off for a fair portion of the flight. Really enjoyed the trip and meeting John and Guy. Guy is the good looking chap left seat in Nynja.
 

Rex out of Dubbo and Qantas back to Melbourne from Sydney. 
 

There should be a new Nynja in the area tomorrow. French island to Dubbo then she flies further north with new owner.

Videos..

Yesterday wet paddock dislodged wheel spat.

Landing at Tyabb a little hot. Seemed to float forever and reality on review was quite a short float.

Bottom pic all cleaned up ready for Dubbo just now parked next to the dry runway!

8 minutes ago, pmccarthy said:

Much damage to that nosewheel spat?

I had that area inspected before returning to French island. Left the nosewheel spat amd gave it a good wash. Aircraft now clean again at Nic’s much drier runway. A lot to be said for farm runways on hills.
 

First video is why we are building the S21’s. Really tough to get into the air this wet and the S21’s will just lift off without drama very quickly.

Second video isn’t one of my finer moments. On phone with the bank manager and distracted thinking I was leaning against a normal height fence and not Nic’s special low runway rabbit fence.
 

Nic just kept working. Build moves quickly because Nic is an awesome worker and also because he researches really carefully prior to each days work. Manual and YouTube’s then we just go and we go fast! I’ve learned since back from USA I can’t match pace. 52 y.o to 64 y.o and my only option is to slow down.

Fuselage is challenging. Lots of panels to match up. 
 

We are onto controls next week. Rudders, sticks and putting wheels on should see the week out.

Progress. Plenty of YouTube’s along with the manuals. 05 degrees out then when we finally finished riveting we were 0.00 fore and aft. Nice to have it tweak itself perfect. 
 

That baggage compartment is a little tricky. We ended up quite neatly fitted. 
 

Wheels next after floor pan tomorrow. Only been back a week and we have made heaps of progress. 

Had a bird strike today. Softfield take off in Pipistrel from French Island. Not great conditions of course but wanted to get it to Tyabb for avionics repair. Kept it low way longer than I normally would and super lucky not to have a prop strike. I heard the thump and immediately focused on possibility of vibration. 
 

Runway pic is Tyabb. Somebody had an interesting excursion. My farm runway not much better. 
 

Returning in Nynja with a rainbow. Nynja is such a delight to fly. I think the Rans S21 will just be a bigger  faster version of this. Easy versatile aircraft.
 

First flight in winter. Quite a cool weather performance upgrade.

On 17/8/2022 at 6:52 PM, Garfly said:

Mike, that'll be another buck!   ;- )

 

Herewith our own Pylon500 at Taree not floating in the A22 he likes to teach in.

 

 

 

 

Well, I’m not completely sure. 

Could have lost points (cents) for being off Center line. However, no deduction as that’s not the criteria and it was a nice squeaked in landing. Well done!

however…..That’s maybe a 15kn head wind. Looks steady, if it has a gust component that’s obviously going to potentially pull you back into the air during flare if timing works against your flare to gust speed. That headwind to ground speed was maybe a what 25kn ground speed…

I guess my point is a student landing the Foxbat or Nynja is going to have an easier time of it in the Nynja. It loses interest in being airborne once near the ground.
 

I’m just now back in Melbourne and plan to fly the Nynja part way to Lismore. We could have a land off competition somewhere 🙂 …except I have to work hard on Rans S21 build to get my 51% component sorted. 

 

I’ll bring the dollar.

I’ll bet a dollar they are only 150mm forward of trike position. That’s close to missionary position.
 

Yeah, here’s a comparison. No wonder it’s “a handful”

Floating aircraft. I get what you’re saying. I was getting a heap of float doing IFR training in the Cessna. 90kn stabilised descent then you come out of the Foggles and have to get slowed down.
 

I do however think the Foxbat is prone to float and it is as such not a great student aircraft. A22 floats and A32 really floats. I recall seeing a video of Ido landing the Foxbat short field and pulling the flaps on touchdown. That seemed to sort it.